Xanthophylls in plant light harvesting complexes play a crucial role in protecting plants from excessive sunlight. Scientists studied a mutant plant with different xanthophylls in its light harvesting complex and found that despite the change, the complex still effectively protects the plant from damage. This shows that a specific site in the complex is robust and essential for its function. The study suggests that the structure of the protein is more important than the type of xanthophyll present for photoprotection.